Past the Finest Hour: Rise of the Mutants Toys
by Evelyn Knight
Summary: Children love toys and toys love children, but sometimes a toys need to be loved by a child can become a scary obsession, it can turn the toy into a horrifying creature and when that happens the toy must be fixed, by those who once knew how a toy feels.WJ
1. Chapter 1

I don't own Toy Story or it's any of it characters I do own any all original characters.

A/N Well here I go again another fic from me even though I have others to finish, but this idea popped into my head and I have to write it down. I really don't know where I'm going with this so bare with me. A/N

Tap, tap on the window plane. The Little girl peeked over her blanket covers in trepidation to see a large spider like leg tap on the outside of her window.

"Mommy! Daddy!"

...

Woody loved being the local town Sheriff; it was a job he was made for, quite literally. He just hated having to wear a uniform though. Why couldn't he wear his own clothes? Like when he… What Woody hated most about the Sheriff's uniform was how bland it was in color. He wished his Sheriff star badge was bigger to make it more visible. He hated the uniform when he was a deputy and he still hated it now, though Jessie had said it looked good on him. She had told him it flattered him in places, but she wouldn't tell him where though, much to the Sheriff's dismay. He did, however, like the hat.

He stepped away from the full-length mirror on the bedroom closet door, somehow bumping into several cardboard boxes as he did so. He and Jessie had only moved into the big Victorian farmhouse a few days before. Jessie had loved it ever since the moment she had laid eyes on it. With its wrap around porch and tower room, it had been sort of like a novelty for her. The land around the house was good, spanning a few acres and they had their own lake. It even had a run down barn that they could restore and house Bullseye in. The house itself was a real fixer upper, but that was no real problem since both he and Jessie were real handy; Jessie more so, with her constantly reading 'How To' books. Jessie would work on the repairs while he was at work, which was good; it kept her busy and out of trouble.

He smiled, remembering the day he and Jessie saw the house for the first time.

_"Can we buy it?" Jessie asked him excitedly, her eyes gawking the area all about in admiration._

_"You want it?" He queried, a little surprised. Shouldn't they at least think it through beforehand and also consider the other houses they had seen first before coming to any definite conclusion?_

_"Of course I want it! It's my dream house!"_

_"Since when have you ever had a dream house?" Woody asked her, rather amused._

_"Well," Jessie began, slightly unsure on what to say. "Since - since always. I just never knew what it'd be like 'til now," She sounded like a child who was making something up on the spot as she stammered._

_"Right," Woody said slowly._

_"Oh Please! Woody! Please?" Jessie was now pleading to him as she clung onto his arm, jumping up and down slightly on the spot._

_"Jessie, calm down," Woody whispered. "The realtor's looking at us funny!"_

_"But Woody, the house is just perfect for us! The tower could be my workshop and you could have the study downstairs!"_

_"What would I want to do with a study?"_

_"To look at police reports and case files. And did you see the barn? Just think: we could fix it up and then we wouldn't have to board Bullseye at the stables anymore, and I could have a garden and we could get some other pets; and at night we could sit on the porch and you could play your guitar just like they do on the Andy Griffiths Show!"_

_"Well - I'll think about it," He told her._

Poor Jessie had made sure to be extra nice to him that week, even if he annoyed her, unaware that he had put down a payment on the house that very day. When she found out, however, she hadn't been sure whether she should kiss or kill him. She settled on kissing him.

"You gonna spend all day gawking at yourself in the mirror or are you at least going to come downstairs and have breakfast with me?" Came Jessie's voice from the bedroom doorway. Woody turned to face her. She was wearing a western style shirt and blue jeans; her long red hair was braided with a yellow scrunchie - and not a ribbon like Woody had originally hoped. He missed the ribbon sometimes though and he noticed that she was barefoot; a habit she has picked up.

"I'm going to come down. You gonna spend the whole day barefoot?"

"No," Jessie said, walking to the dresser and taking out a pair of socks before going over to the bed and sitting down to put them on. "You think I'm crazy? Don't answer that," She warned as Woody sat down next to her. "I'm going to be working on the house today, and there's going to be nails and tools all over the place. I don't want to cut my feet."

"Good," Woody said, handing Jessie her boots. "Because I still remember the last time you cut your foot and I don't need you calling me up in a panic." He teased.

"Oh, come on! It was the first time I had ever seen my own blood! And it was bleeding a lot as well, and if you had told me you had broken a glass I wouldn't have cut my foot in the first place. Besides, I wasn't as bad as you were when you cut yourself shaving."

"Hey! The cut was on my neck," Woody stated, defending himself.

"I had to sit on you to get you to calm down."

"What's for breakfast?" Woody asked, changing the subject.

"Your favorite: steak and eggs, I thought I'd start you off with a nice, hardy breakfast, since today's the day he's coming."

"Yeah," Woody muttered slowly, looking down at his hands.

"Are you nervous?"

"I wouldn't call it nervous, more like anxious. It was a different life time when we last saw each other and he won't even know or remember me."

"But he's going to know you now and in time he'll remember," Jessie told him comfortingly.

"He's going to remember you too Jess, and he's going to remember…."

"It doesn't matter," Jessie said, placing her hands on either side of Woody's face in a soothing manner. Her wedding ring felt cool against his skin. "I don't have any regrets. Do you?"

"No, none," Woody answered, mirroring her actions.

"Come on, your breakfast is going to get cold."

…

"What are you having for breakfast?" Woody asked as they made their ways down the stairs.

"Pancakes and eggs."

"Pancakes? You made pancakes?"

"Uh huh."

"Did you make enough for two?"

"You want pancakes with your steak and eggs?" Jessie asked, chuckling lightly.

"Just one or two. Come on. You want me to have a hardy breakfast."

Jessie laughed, "Don't worry, I made plenty."

…

"So what are your plans for today?" Woody asked as they ate.

"I'm going to work on the banister. It feel's loose and I don't trust it. And then I'll work on the porch.

"All right, but be careful. Don't lock yourself out, and call me if you need me."

"I will. Now, you call me when you have a free moment and try not to scare him. Okay?"

"Okay."

…

Buzz's whole body ached from head to toe, but he guessed that his discomfort was because of the move. After a hot shower and some Advil, he got ready for his interview.

Buzz knocked on the Sheriff's door.

"Come in," Called Woody's voice.

The door opened and Buzz stepped in.

"Howdy," Woody said when he saw Buzz enter. "I'm Sheriff Pride."

"Hi, I'm Buzz Nesbit. I'm here about the deputy job."

Buzz's last name was all wrong and Woody knew that, but he also knew that real people don't go around with a last name such as 'Lightyear'. He wasn't as short as he once was which was a good thing Woody guessed. Woody was still taller then him though. It was weird seeing him wearing regular clothes - heck, it was weird seeing Buzz with hair! Dirty blond. Woody had never figured that Buzz would have hair like that.

"Have a seat and tell me about yourself."

"Well - I just moved here, I'm single. I graduated at the top of my classes. I'm a good athlete, played football - so I know how to tackle," Buzz told him, a little nervous.

"Why do you want to be a deputy?" Woody asked him.

"I want to engage in a job that will benefit the community," He told him.

"Have you ever fired a gun before?"

"No Sheriff, I haven't. I don't even know the first thing about guns," Buzz admitted.

"Well, in this job you're going to have to learn and pray you never have to use that knowledge."

Buzz nodded. "Um, Sheriff?"

"Yes?"

"Have we met before? You look and seem familiar to me."

Woody gave him a small smile before saying, "Maybe in another life? Well - all we need to do now is do a background check on you and if everything checks out okay, you'll get hired, we'll get you a uniform in your size and then you'll start training."

"Great!" Said Buzz. "And believe me, it will! I've haven't been in trouble a day in my life!"

_'Of course not. This 'is' the first day of your life,'_ Woody thought silently.

A/N Well here's the end the first chapter. I hope you like it. A/N


	2. Chapter 2

Past the Finest Hour

I don't own Toy Story or it's any of it characters I do own any all original characters.

A/N I feel like an idiot. I uploaded the rough draft of the first chapter by mistake. I fixed it now, please go back and re-read it if you haven't. A/N

Once Buzz left, Woody sat back down in his office feeling like the wind had just been knocked out of him. It had taken all of his will power to keep himself professional when he had caught sight of Buzz, and this eerie sensation still left the Sheriff feeling all but unsettled. All he had wanted to do was to leap over to his old friend and embrace him firmly. He was happy that he had seen him again, but yet Woody was worried. What would happen when he got his memories back? He knew he'd be hurt and upset and that thought just killed Woody in the insides.

More thoughts entered Woody's head - some detailing over what would happen when Jessie and Buzz saw each other again. Buzz was an okay looking guy, Woody had to admit; he had toned muscles and good hair, and even visible ears! What if Jessie had second thoughts when she saw him again? Woody dreaded to think about it.

Woody shook his head; he always did this to himself! All this second-guessing wasn't good for him, and the Sheriff sure as hell knew it. He ran his hand through his hair in an attempt to clear his thoughts.

There was another knock on his door.

"Come in," he called.

"Hey Sheriff, is this a bad time?" Asked one of his deputies named Wilson.

"No, what is it?" Woody questioned as the deputy stepped into the office.

"Your wife restores dolls, right?" Wilson asked him.

"Dolls, toys, stuffed animals," Woody added. "Something you need fixed?"

"Sort of. It's not mine."

"What's not yours?" Woody asked him, getting slightly annoyed over the fact that his deputy wasn't getting to the point.

"My mother's old Chatty Cathy doll."

"Okay," Woody said slowly. "And you want Jessie to fix her- er it," Woody quickly said. _'Rule number one: don't refer to toys as people or real people will think you're crazy'._

"Yeah, that thing is really ratty. It doesn't talk anymore, half the hair is missing and one eye doesn't open. I don't know why mom didn't throw the thing out years ago."

Woody shrugged in response.

"But I'm sure fixing it will make the old girl happy," Wilson went on to say.

"I'm sure it will," Woody said, really meaning the Chatty Cathy doll and not Wilson's mother. "You or your mother can drop the doll off at the house anytime and Jessie will give you a price."

"Great, thanks Sheriff," Wilson acknowledged before leaving.

Woody and Jessie didn't like having to charge money for fixing toys, but supplies cost money and they liked to eat.

_**'The broken will seek you out and you shall bring them to her to fix.'**_

Buzz jogged through the park, relieved that his interview was over and that it had gone well. He thought about the Sheriff briefly; he seemed so familiar to him, but something also seemed off about him too - like the wedding ring on his finger. It seemed to Buzz that he shouldn't be married - which was a dumb thing to think really, Buzz realized. Why shouldn't the Sheriff be married? Maybe it was because he looked so young? Buzz began to wonder what kind of woman the Sheriff was married too.

_'Probably a blond, who wears a lot of pink,_' Buzz thought. _'Me? I like redheads with green eyes.'_

Woody had just finished his rounds and had just started his lunch break when he called Jessie.

"Hi, Honey," He greeted when she answered the phone.

"Hey, howdy, hey!" Jessie responded cheerfully. "So, have you seen him yet?"

"Yeah, I saw him," Woody answered.

"And?"

"He has hair," Woody blurted out, not even sure why he had done so.

"Is it purple?" Jessie asked, finding herself unable to even picture Buzz with hair.

"No; it's dirty blond."

"So what else?" Jessie asked, finding Woody's lack of excitement strange.

"His last name is Nesbit," Woody told her.

"Nesbit?" Jessie questioned. Woody pictured her raising her eyebrows in confusion. "Where'd that come from?"

"I know, but I'll tell you about it later," Woody told her.

"Did he remember you?" She asked, trying to get more out of him.

"No," Woody said, for the first time feeling truly disappointed. "He did say that I seemed familiar to him though. So that's something I guess."

"It is something!" Jessie exclaimed excitedly, trying to cheer him up. "So, did anything else happen today?"

Woody told her about Wilson and his mother's doll that she was to fix.

"So, what are you up to?" Woody asked her.

"Well, I tightened up the banister railing and I'm working on getting the porch well fixed up. I can't wait to get the barn fixed up. It'll be so nice to have Bullseye around and it will be less lonely."

"You're lonely?" Woody questioned, surprised.

"Just a little," Jessie admitted softly.

"I'm sorry," Woody said, feeling tremendously guilty for leaving her alone.

"It's not your fault," Jessie quickly told him. "It's just - you know - a new house and we're not close to any neighboring houses. But it's okay because I love this house and I love you."

"I love you too, Jess," Woody told her. "Hey, how about I make dinner tonight?"

"Now that would be great!" Jessie said enthusiastically. "Because I've been really craving your homemade pizza."

…

Woody bought Jessie a bouquet of yellow roses.

"Oh, they're beautiful," Jessie exclaimed in awe, taking the flowers from him. "You shouldn't have."

"I thought they'd brighten up the house," Woody said.

…

The rest of the night Jessie continued to notice that something seemed off with Woody. It wasn't until they got ready for bed that Jessie finally realized what it was.

"I know what you're worried about," Jessie said, getting into bed.

"I don't know what you mean," Woody muttered not looking up from the book he was pretending to read.

"You're worried about what's going to happen when Buzz and I see each other again?"

"I," Woody began as he closed his book, not wanting to tell her all the doubt he had floundering through him.

"Woody, do you honestly think that I don't truly love you?"

"No!" Woody quickly protested, suddenly feeling quite flustered. "It's not that! Buzz is…"

"Not you," Jessie told him. "All Buzz and I had was a 'thing', and that's nothing compared to what you and I have. I swear Woody, to the bottom of my heart, that I've loved no one more than I've ever loved you. Do you think I could ever be truly intimate with anyone else, but you?" Before he could answer her, Jessie continued. "I'm wearing this nightgown because I want you to see me in it - no-one else. Not that you've noticed," She said with slight irritation within her voice.

"Huh?" Woody murmured; he had been so busy concentrating on her face to truly notice. "Oh," Woody said, looking down at the rest of her. She was wearing her yellow semi-transparent nightgown - the one she had worn on their honeymoon and the one he wished she'd wear more often. Though, despite being married to her, he had simply been too embarrassed to say so.

Jessie settled herself down and pulled Woody down so that he was half on top of her as she slipped into his embrace

"Woody, I can understand how you feel. If Bo were to be brought here, I'd have the same fears." Woody's eyes widened as Jessie spoke.

'_Bo? She's afraid that if, somehow, I were to meet Bo again like this, I'd leave her to be with Bo?'_ He was shocked beyond reason, and simply couldn't bring himself to believe that Jessie would think of such a thing like that. Didn't she know how much he loved her? Didn't she know that one of the reasons he had wanted to marry her was to be with her forever and have their souls linked through eternity? Didn't she understand that - suddenly, it abruptly occurred to him that Jessie was trying to get through to him.

"I must be the biggest idiot you ever did meet," Woody said into Jessie's shoulder as he inhaled her scent. The faint smell of peaches suddenly overwhelmed his senses, and he cherished it gratefully.

"I prefer to think of you as a mule," Jessie told him as she fingered the end strands of his hair at the back of his neck playfully

"A mule?" Woody asked curiously as he began to kiss her neck.

"Yeah, you kick up at anything you hear. Your back is brawny, but your brain is weak - you're just plain stupid with stubborn streak," Jessie teased him as she played with one of his pajama shirt buttons. "But you know something?"

"What?" Woody asked, amused rather then offended.

"I love mules," she said before kissing him to which Woody deepened. As their bodies began to intertwine with the other's, they explored one another with their hands..

A/N Yes filler I know. But there is a clue in this chapter. A/N


	3. Chapter 3

Past the Finest Hour

I don't own Toy Story or it's any of it characters I do own any all original characters.

Buzz got the job of course and, as expected, he was a bit nervous. However, Woody was there to give him support on the job training.

"So," Buzz said on his first day on the job as he and Woody were driving to the shooting range. "You're married?" He asked in an attempt to make a conversation.

"Yep, two years now," Woody told him. "We just bought a house," He added.

"That's nice," Buzz said. "How does she feel about the job?"

"She knows the dangers and she understands. But, though she'd never say it, I think she'd be happier if I had some other job."

_"Don't you ever put me through anything like that again!' Jessie shouted at him, her eyes flashing as she tried to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall at any second. Before Woody could say anything, Jessie grabbed his shirt and buried her head in his chest as angry hot tear drops began to fall. "They wouldn't tell me anything at the hospital! All I knew was that you'd been shot! I thought you were dead!" She sobbed._

_"I'm sorry,' Woody said softly, wrapping one arm around her. "I'm so sorry."_

_"I don't know what I'd do if I ever lost you! I couldn't be able to handle being like 'this' without you. I need you!" She told him, crying harder._

_"I need you too Jess, and I swear to you I'll never put you through this again."_

Woody taught Buzz the basics on how to use a gun. He taught him how to set the safety and how to check it before showing him how to shoot and clean the gun.

"You'll need more lessons," Woody told him. "But you seem like a natural."

"Thanks, Sheriff," Buzz said, feeling very proud.

"Call me Woody."

"Woody then," Buzz said.

….

"For the most part, it's a quite town," Woody told Buzz on the way back. "We have some drunks every now and then and there are traffic violators. A couple of years ago, when I was still a deputy, I went on a drug bust - bit I haven't had to go one since."

"If you don't mind me saying, you seem kind of young to be a Sheriff," Buzz said.

"I'm twenty five," Woody told him.

"I'm twenty two,"

'_I guess it would make sense for 'her' to make Buzz a little younger than Jess and me,'_ Woody thought. Aloud, he said: "When the previous Sheriff retired last year, he suggested that I run, town elected me and that's that."

….

"So how'd it go today?" Jessie asked when Woody came home from work that day. They were working on the barn since there was still some daylight left.

"It went all right," Woody told her. "I taught him how to shoot. He's pretty good at it - not as good as me though," He said smugly

"Of course not," Jessie replied with a mischievous smile. "You're the best root'n shoot'n cowboy there is!"

"Darn toot'n I am!" Woody added. "I guess you'll be wanting to re-meet him again, won't you?" Woody asked softly.

"It would be nice. I mean - we were friends before the 'thing'," Jessie told him. "And I promise I won't hug him if he says I have nice hair," Jessie joked, hoping to lighten Woody's mood a little. He remained silent as he nailed a beam into place. "Woody," Jessie said, walking over to him. "You're still not worried about anything happening between me and Buzz are you? Because I thought last night…"

"No Jess," He said, looking at her. "I'm not worried about you and him. I'm worried about what's going to happen when Buzz gets his real memories back. How's he going to handle being like 'this'? How's he going to feel knowing that I married the woman he cared for? Is he going to hate me for not telling the truth right away? I think he's going to be hurt and angry and it's because of me that he's going to feel like that," Woody said, turning away from her and resting his head against the beam. "I haven't even told him your name. He knows I'm married, but I didn't tell him your name. I don't know why I haven't told. Maybe I'm afraid that hearing your name will suddenly make him remember?"

Jessie hugged him from behind, trying to give him some comfort, the side of her face resting on his back.

"It'll be okay, somehow," Jessie said, knowing fully well that it just might not.

"It was easy for us. We always knew; it was our choice - we never lost our memories," Woody murmured.

"It seems so long ago, doesn't it?" Jessie asked, her voice sounding far off and dreamy. "I was so terrified at the most stupidest things," Jessie said, trying to hide a laugh.

"Like what?" Woody asked slowly, turning around so that they now were in each other's embrace.

"Like the idea of having to share a bathroom with you," She told him.

"But you were fine sharing an apartment with me?" Woody asked a little surprised.

"We each had our own bedroom and I was used to sharing living space with you. But a bathroom? That was new and different and I was sure I'd die if I ever walked in and found that you left the toilet seat up."

Woody couldn't help but laugh at Jessie statement. "You'd probably yell at me if I did that now?"

"Yeah, so don't you get any ideas," Jessie warned. "We used to act so awkward around each other back then. Afraid to even get close to one another in case we might accidentally touch and look at us now?"

"In love and married," Woody continued. "Remember the first time we accidentally bumped into one another?"

"Yeah, we both screamed," Jessie laughed. "Then apologized to each other 'til our voices went sore," Jessie smiled and brushed some saw dust off Woody's shoulder. "We'll make Buzz understand how it was between us Woody. We'll make him see that we never meant to hurt him and who knows? Maybe he won't even feel the same way towards me anymore? Maybe by the time he remembers, he'll have met someone?" Jessie suggested hopefully. She didn't like the idea of Buzz being emotionally hurt anymore than Woody did.

"I can't hide you from him," Woody said. "So, how about tomorrow you come into town so we can have lunch together? You can meet me at the station and you can meet Buzz too. Okay?"

"Sounds good," Jessie told him, smiling.

The next day:

Buzz saw her enter the station. She was everything his ideal woman looked like: long red hair styled in a single braid, bright green eyes that sparkled with merriment, her face had a sweet look and she was even a little taller than him. Buzz liked tall woman.

Walking over to her, Buzz already a plan in his head. He'd ask her if she needed any help and, of course she would (why else would she be here?), then they'd talked for a little bit, then he'd tell her that he was new in town and that he didn't really have that many friends and then he'd ask her out to dinner.

Jessie saw Buzz coming towards her; she recognized him instantly. Seeing him gave her a warm nostalgic feeling, like when you think about past summer days of innocent childhood. But she had no regrets, and she reminisced this fact.

"Hi, I'm deputy Buzz Nesbit. Anything I can help you with?" He asked, flashing her a smile.

"Oh no, I'm just waiting for Woody. Hi, I'm Jessie - Woody's wife," She told him, smiling gently.

"You're Woody's wife?" Buzz questioned in slight shock as his eyes went wide. She couldn't be - she wasn't blond and she wasn't wearing pink! But there was more than just that though, and it made him feel uneasy. Something in the back of his mind told him that Woody and Jessie shouldn't be married. He didn't know why, but it just seemed wrong to him. Jessie was his type of woman - not Woody's!

_'Please don't get your real memories back here and cause a scene!'_ Jessie mentally pleaded. _'She can't come here to explain things to you.'_

"Hey," Woody greeted, joining them before giving Jessie a light kiss on the lips. "Did I keep you waiting long?" He was trying to sound nonchalant, but he was kind of worried about Buzz and Jessie being alone together.

"No. You ready to go?" Jessie asked him.

"Yeah," Woody said. "Buzz? Are you okay?" Woody asked, noticing that he was just standing there looking somewhere between shocked and lost in thought.

"Huh? What?" He asked, still in disbelief. "Oh, I'm fine. You two going somewhere?"

"Yeah - to have lunch," Jessie answered. Buzz began to hope that she'd invite him along with them, but he was left disappointed when she didn't.

_'Great,'_ Buzz thought when they left. '_I'm attracted to my boss's wife and I barely even know her! But somehow I feel like I do and not just her,'_

….

"So," said Woody when he and Jessie were sitting down, waiting patiently for their order to be taken. "What did you think of him?"

"He seemed nice and helpful," Jessie commented.

"He was probably just getting ready to make a pass at you," Woody grumbled, suddenly he felt Jessie run the tip of her boot up along his leg, making his senses go haywire for minute.

"Jessie," Woody gasped, a little shocked.

"You looked so cute just now - I had to make a pass of my own," she told him.

"You couldn't have just waited 'til later tonight, at home?" Woody asked her, feeling so very flustered.

"No. But at least now you have something to look forward to later tonight," Jessie said coyly.

"Not so loud," Woody whispered.

….

Her daddy told her he didn't want to hear a sound out of her tonight - not one peep or else. Her daddy scared her more then the spider monster, so she had no choice other than to oblige. That was why she'd call for him when she'd see the monster. She knew her daddy would scare it away for the night, but it always came back. She knew her daddy didn't believe her about the spider monster, but her mommy did. She wanted her mommy now as she saw the spider monster's shadow, but her daddy's threat prevented her from calling out. Her wrist still hurt from where he had grabbed her earlier, telling her that he hated her for lying. Her arm still hurt from where he had pinched her to remind her of the threat.

She watched in horror as the monster cut away the screen of her closed window. She wanted to cry out, but the fear of her daddy hitting her again was too great. She bit her lip so hard to keep from crying out that it bled. She bit onto her blanket next as the monster began to cut the window planes away. She was now paralyzed with fear and she couldn't even make a sound as it came into her room. She blacked out when it grabbed her, taking her away into the dark night.


	4. Chapter 4

Past the Finest Hour

I don't own Toy Story or it's any of it characters I do own any all original characters.

The day started out for Woody the same way every day had started for the past two years. They were in each other's embrace and he noticed that Jessie was still sleeping. Woody smiled as he brought his hands down to Jessie's ribcage, ticking her sides. Jessie began to laugh in her sleep. Soon, she was awake and started getting her own back on Woody. When they were out of breath, she and Woody cuddled for a few minutes.

Jessie would shower and get dressed first and then make the bed whilst Woody showered, and make breakfast as Woody got dressed. If he stayed long enough upstairs, Jessie would often go and get him herself.

As they had breakfast, they talked about what Jessie was going to do today. She was going to unpack some more things today now that she was sure she wouldn't fall over the banister railing. However, they were interrupted when Woody's cell phone rang.

"Sheriff, here," He said. His eyes widened before he asked: "Did you send out an Amber Alert? Well, send one out! Wilson, I can't care what you think! A child is missing and blood was found in her bedroom!"

Jessie gasped when she heard what Woody was saying.

"Secure the crime scene. I don't want it any more contaminated than it already is. Then call the CSI people and get them over there, pronto! I'll be there as soon I can. Bye."

"Woody?" Jessie spoke his name worriedly.

"There's a little girl missing. It looks like someone took her from her bedroom in the night."

"Oh no," Jessie murmured, standing up truly disturbed.

"Look," Woody said, standing up as well and placing his hands on her shoulders. "Today's going to be hectic. I don't know what time I'll be home."

"It's okay. I understand," Jessie told him.

"I don't know if I'll be able to keep in touch, but I'll try," He told her, trying not to betray the feelings of anxiety that were creeping into him. He had never dealt with anything like this before. He wished to the high heavens that Jessie could come with him for his investigation because he needed her support, but he knew she couldn't go with him.

"Is there anything I can do?" Jessie asked, wanting to be as helpful as she could.

"I'll let you know."

"Good luck and be careful," Jessie said as he began to leave.

"I will be," Woody told her before giving Jessie a quick kiss on the lips and leaving.

Jessie watched him leave from the porch, a strange foreboding feeling creeping into her core, making her feel sick to the stomach. She knew all about the sick people out there who did unspeakable things to children. She couldn't understand how anyone could hurt a child in the slightest, and she didn't want to. _'Find her Woody,'_ she mentally pleaded. _'Find her before it's too late.'_

…

The girl's name was Ava Madison and she was five years old.

"When was the last time you saw your daughter?" Woody asked the missing little girl's parents. They were in the family's kitchen.

"Last night - her bedtime's seven-thirty," Mrs. Madison said in a shell-shocked voice. "I tucked her in and kissed her goodnight. I told her to call out for me if she was scared in the night again."

"What do you mean again?" Woody asked.

"For a week a now, she's been calling out for us in the middle of the night because she sees a spider monster at her window," Mrs. Madison told him.

"A spider monster?" Woody repeated.

"That's what Ava calls it," Mrs. Madison told him. "She said it had a human head."

Woody's eyes widened, suddenly feeling that this wasn't going to be the 'run of the mill' missing child case.

"Maybe…maybe what she was seeing was really a person with tools?" Mrs. Madison suggested shakily.

"That's a possibility," Woody said. "Have either of you noticed any strangers watching you with your daughter?"

Both parents shook their heads. It was an obvious no.

"Why wouldn't she call out? Why?" Mrs. Madison asked, crying.

"She didn't cry out because I threatened to hit her if she did," Mr. Madison admitted, unable to handle the guilt he was feeling anymore. Because of him, someone had taken his daughter and was now doing who knows what to her.

"You what?" Woody asked in shock, narrowing his eyes.

"Why would you tell her something like that?" His wife exclaimed, and then her eyes widened as if something had just dawned on her.

"What is it?" Woody asked her.

"Sometimes, when I'd give Ava her bath, I'd see bruises on her," she said softly. "I-I never really paid much mind to them. Kids, they play roughhouse and I always thought she got them playing outside or on the playground." She turned to her husband, fury now beginning to show in her expression. "It was you who put them there, wasn't it?"

"Yes," He admitted sheepishly.

With a mama bear's fury she turned on her husband, beating him with her fists, screaming all sorts of names and demanding to know what he had done with their daughter. Woody and Buzz (who had been taking notes on the situation) had to pull her off of him.

"I think we better head down to the station," Woody said.

….

Jessie pressed her lips together as she unpacked their DVD selection. Why they had so many, she didn't even know. She doubted that she and Woody had even watched half of them. They had everything from Disney movies to MGM musicals, classic cartoons to TV shows and Westerns of course. Jessie sighed as she began to put the DVDs in alphabetical order. Woody liked to have them that way and normally she arranged them in any odd order and let Woody play around with them later, but she wanted to be as helpful to Woody as she possibly could and she didn't want to make him feel any more stressed out than he already was (she guessed that he had a touch of OCD). Jessie sighed again, feeling completely useless; putting the DVDs in the right order wasn't really going to help Woody out.

Right now, she wished she'd gone into law enforcement instead of majoring in art. That way, she'd be helping in the search for the little girl right now. However, she also knew that working with Woody at the same place would be a complete disaster. They'd be too busy worrying about one another to do any work. Besides, she wouldn't be able to stand having to wear that uniform either. Woody could barely stand it!

Despite her somber mood, she couldn't help but smile when she thought back to when Woody had first been made a deputy. It had been when they had shared an apartment together before they were married and even before they had started dating. As soon as Woody was home and off duty, sometimes he wouldn't even wait to get into his room to take his shirt off. That had usually been fine since he had worn an undershirt underneath, except for that one time when he had been behind on his laundry.

_His uniform shirt was itching him terribly. It must've given him some kind of condition, something awful even if it was all just in his head. He didn't even bother to wait and go into his room to change._

_"Woody, I'm glad you're back," Jessie said, coming out of her room. "We need to write out a grocery…." Jessie stopped speaking at the sight of him. He was shirtless. Jessie's breath caught in her throat as her face turned beet red._

_They both screamed in surprise and Woody held up his shirt to cover up his chest. Jessie ran into her room, panting at the loss of breath. She felt so hot, surprisingly, and then realized that it must've been the first inklings of physical attraction._

_Later, Woody apologized and they had a very awkward dinner._

Jessie shook her head, bringing herself back to the present. She still felt absolutely useless. Maybe she could talk to Woody about training search and rescue dogs?

…

"Okay," Woody said to Mr. Madison once they were in the interview room. "What happened?"

"I don't know what you mean," He replied, simply.

"Just tell me what happened," Woody said gently. "Maybe you didn't mean to kill her? You hit her too hard; it was accident and you panicked and hid the body."

"No! I didn't kill her! I would never kill my own daughter!"

"No - you would just beat your own daughter!" Woody yelled, getting right in his face. "A helpless, defenseless little five-year-old! Why'd you do it? Did hitting her make you feel like a big man? Or did you just hate having a kid? Always in the way, leaving her toys all over the house, taking your wife's attention away from you. Maybe you had to kill her to keep her from telling anybody what you were doing to her! Maybe you weren't just hitting her?"

"No! No! I swear to God, no! Some of the other stuff you said was true, but all I ever did was hit her! Now, you find the S.O.B that took her!"

"Maybe I'm looking at him?"

"I want a lawyer," Mr. Madison claimed firmly, his expression solid. It almost sickened Woody that he could seem this calm after what had happened.

"Good. You're going to need one. Book him in on child abuse and suspicious kidnapping and murder!" Woody said, flicking his gaze over to Buzz for just a brief second.

Woody left the interview room and hurried into his private bathroom in his office. He turned the taps on in the sink before dropping to his knees and throwing up into the toilet. It was the first time he had ever gotten that intense with anyone like that before. Oh yes, he and Jessie had obviously had several heated arguments over time, but this was completely different. He was accusing a man of killing his own daughter. And the worse part was, even though Mr. Madison did in fact hit his daughter, Woody knew he didn't have anything to do with her kidnapping.


	5. Chapter 5

Past the Finest Hour

I don't own Toy Story or it's any of it characters I do own any all original characters.

The cave was dark and cold. Her eyes were wide with fear and shock as she held her knees up against her chest, rocking back and forth on the cold, damp cave floor. Across from her was a small, broken child's pink table with a pink cracked tea set settled on top of it. The metallic spider-like leg inched a pink cup towards her.

…

"There," Jessie said to herself. She had put all the DVD's away. She sat on the sofa and turned on the TV to the local news. Ava's kidnapping was the top story, but they didn't have anything to report as of yet. Jessie sighed and turned the TV off feeling very restless. She suddenly got the urge to drive to the stables and ride Bullseye, but it would be wrong to have fun whilst a little girl was missing and Woody was working his hardest to find her. "Might as well go into the kitchen and see if I have everything unpacked."

….

Woody steadied himself against the bathroom wall and forced himself to breathe through his nose for a few minutes. He splashed some cold water on his face. He desperately wanted to call Jessie and tell her how awful he was feeling.

"Stop it!" He told himself. "You can't go crying to your wife now, and she'd kick your butt if you did! There's a little girl out there who needs to be found! Now get out of this bathroom and organize a search!"

The search teams were sent to look for Ava in gullies and ravines, parks, rivers, woods, and in garbage dumps.

"You know," Buzz said to Woody as they were going over a map of the area. "'Good Cop, Bad Cop' works better with two people."

"Well, I've never had to do 'Good Cop, Bad Cop' before, so you'll excuse me if I get it wrong," Woody said without looking up.

"I'm just saying that next time, if you need a good or a bad cop, you can count on me to be either," Buzz told him.

"Thanks," Woody said, looking at him. "I'll remember that."

….

Jessie loved the house's big kitchen mainly because she surprisingly loved to cook and Woody loved her cooking. She loved being able to create something; maybe that was why she didn't change her major from art? And there was something wonderfully satisfying about restoring toys and making them better again somehow. But right now she was doing neither. She was unpacking various kitchen odds and ends. She wanted to call Woody up and find out what was happening, but she didn't want to bug him as this wasn't a game. She missed having carefree days. She shook her head as she began to unpack her cookbooks and cooking spices.

The house was quiet - too quiet for Jessie's liking. She would have turned on the radio to make herself feel more comfortable, only it was packed away somewhere. Empty cardboard boxes were everywhere and Jessie knew she ought to put the empty boxes away in the attic or in the basement, but both places were dark and creepy and she didn't want to go into either room without Woody.

"Big brave girl you are," Jessie said to herself vehemently, stacking the boxes.

The dining room was Jessie's favorite room in the house. It had huge floor length windows and built-in china cabinets. Woody and Jessie had two sets of fine china thanks to both of their mothers. Jessie shook her head wondering what the use was in having a set when they didn't even have a dining room table set to go with it. A big antique set would do nicely, Jessie often thought. Jessie sat back and thought of how else they could decorate the dining room. When the doorbell rang, Jessie nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Oh please don't let it be my mother or Woody's mother," Jessie muttered as she went to answer the door. It turned out to be Wilson's mother with her Chatty Cathy doll.

"Please come in," Jessie said. "You'll have to excuse the mess - we just moved in."

"Oh, that's quite all right," Wilson's mother said whilst casting a critical eye around the room. Jessie wasn't bothered by it though. As long as it wasn't her 'mother' or her 'mother-in-law', she didn't care who criticized her.

"Well, let me have a look at your doll," Jessie said.

Wilson's mother was hesitant at first in handing over her old, beloved childhood doll to Jessie, but she did nonetheless.

"I see she's been well played with and well loved," Jessie commented.

"Yes," Wilson's mother said. "When I used to pretend she was my baby, I wanted to give her to my daughter one day but I ended up having five boys. Willy's my youngest."

"Willy?" Jessie questioned.

"Wilson."

"Oh."

"Do you have any children?"

"No," Jessie told her, suddenly feeling uncomfortable.

"Are you planning to?"

"Woody and I haven't talked about it," Jessie told her.

"Are you planning to talk to him about it?"

_'Lord this woman is nosey!_' Jessie thought. "I haven't really thought about it."

"It would seem such a shame for this house to be empty. A house like this should be filled with children. Don't forget dear: you're not getting any younger."

"I don't have her hair color in stock, Mrs…?" Jessie said slowly wanting to change the subject

"Please call me Amanda."

"Well Amanda, I'll have to order hair for and that will take about week about to arrive if I order it today."

"That's all right. Will you be able to make her talk again?" Amanda asked.

"Oh, don't worry. I'll have her talking and looking as good as new," Jessie told her.

Once they had settled on a price Amanda left much to Jessie's relief.

Jessie now felt more on edge than ever. The talk of having children made Jessie feel so strange. She loved children no doubt, as did Woody. But to have one of their own? It was a nice idea, but it was scary too. Could she even have a baby? Did she even really want one? Well, she eventually thought, it wasn't as though she'd be upset if she had one. Oh, why was she even dwelling on this? It wasn't as though she was going to have one anytime soon -

… Or was she? Jessie's eyes widened as she put her hand to her stomach and thought of how she had been feeling for the past week. She had felt weird like she couldn't really put her finger on it, and hadn't she been craving certain foods lately? And she did feel nauseous today and when she had made Woody steak and eggs, the smell of the meat had made her feel a little sick.

Jessie shook her head. Perhaps she was just jumping to conclusions? After all, she wouldn't even be thinking about this in the first place if it hadn't been for Wilson's mother Amanda.

'_Does that make me a bad mother?'_ Jessie thought in spite of herself. Shaking her head again, she looked at the Chatty Cathy doll she was holding up.

"Time to get to work on you,"

The first thing she did was order new hair for the doll and then she got her doll repairing tools ready. Jessie went into the kitchen with the doll and undressed her before putting her into a pot of boiling water.

"Just think of this as a nice, hot bath," She told her. "You see, I need to do this to loosen up your joints so I can take you apart. Now I know I must sound awful to you, but I have to take you apart to fix you." Once the doll was finished boiling, Jessie laid her out on a towel on the kitchen table. (Her work shop hadn't been set up yet.) Jessie removed the doll's head, arms and then her legs. "I know I must seem so evil and mean to you," Jessie said. "But you wouldn't believe what humans have to go through when they go the doctor to have surgery - it's really gory." Jessie picked the Chatty Cathy doll's head. "I'm real sorry about this, but I'm going to have to pop your eyes out," Jessie said, putting her hand in the doll's head and using her fingers to push the eyes out. "I'll put them back in later," Jessie told her, cleaning them. "Besides, it's best if you don't see what I'm about to do anyway."

Cracking the doll's torso open wasn't a pleasant thing for the doll or for Jessie to do. Jessie cleaned out the doll's insides which were a little rusty and then she replaced the broken ring so that the Chatty Cathy doll could talk again.

"I forgot the blow dryer," Jessie said. "I'll be right back."

_'I don't like what she's doing to me,'_ Chatty Cathy thought. _'I'm all broken up worse than I was before, but there's something pleasant about her. And she talks to me almost like she knows I'm alive. I guess I'll just have to trust that she'll put me back together. I really don't have a choice anyway...'_

Jessie came back a few minutes later and used the blow dryer the melt the plastic enough to put the torso back together. Afterwards she put Catty Cathy's arms and legs back in place.

"I'm sorry I can't put your head back on, but I'd only have to take it off again when your new hair arrives. But I can put your eyes back in and re-dress you."

Jessie had worked on the doll all day, taking a break for lunch sometime through it. It was now getting close to dinnertime. No word from Woody yet.

"I could sure go for some fried chicken tonight," Jessie said to herself.

…

Woody sighed and shook his head. So far, they'd had no luck in finding the missing girl. It was ten o' clock now, and it was dark. It would be best to call off the search now and then start again first thing in the morning.

"So we're calling it a night?" Buzz asked.

"Yeah," Woody said disappointedly. "It's too dark now to do any good. And I'd better be getting home; I'm sure Jessie has supper waiting at home." For a brief moment Woody thought about inviting Buzz home, but he eventually decided against it. The house was still a mess from the move and it was late - besides, he didn't even know if Jessie had made enough for three. "See you tomorrow."

….

Jessie was there to greet Woody at the door.

"Well, we didn't find her," Woody said glumly. "And I threw up today."

"How was it?" Jessie asked him.

"Not good - I never want to go through that again."

"Any leads?"

"Her father confessed to beating her."

"That's terrible!" Jessie exclaimed in horror. "How could a father hurt his own child?"

"I don't know," Woody admitted, shaking his head.

"Think you can eat dinner?"

"Yeah, what's for dinner anyway?"

"Fried chicken."

"Don't you think you should wait for me to call with good news first before making a celebration dinner?" Woody asked, his tone slightly harsh.

"I didn't make it to celebrate! I made it because I've had a craving for it all day!" Jessie snapped at him.

"What's bothering you?" Woody asked as they walked into the kitchen.

"I-I'm too scared to go up into the attic by myself and put the cardboard boxes away," Jessie told him. It wasn't a lie, pedantically, for she was afraid.

"I'll do it after dinner. At least I can be useful at something."

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Jessie told him. "You'll find her. I know you will."

"Jessie," Woody began abruptly, his voice edging. "Why is there a headless doll in our kitchen?"

"Oh, that's Wilson's mother's doll. I've been working on her all day."

….

"Okay," Woody began later when he was done placing all of the empty boxes into the attic. "Tell me what's really going on with you."

"Huh?"

"Come on Jess, I've known you long enough to know when you're distracted about something. Now, what is it?"

Jessie knew she had to tell him sooner or later, so she'd better tell him now or he might think that she had second thoughts about him and Buzz. How someone so full of himself could also be full of self-doubt, Jessie had no idea.

"Well?" Woody said impatiently.

"I think I might be pregnant," Jessie told him.

At that, Woody's jaw dropped open. Before either of them knew it, his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he fell to the floor like a ton of bricks.


	6. Chapter 6

Past the Finest Hour

I don't own Toy Story or it's any of it characters I do own any all original characters.

She was hungry and thirsty. She hasn't had anything to eat or drink since the day before. The broken teacups were empty, but it didn't matter anyway in the state she was in. She wouldn't eat or drink anything even if it was placed right in front of her.

….

Jessie looked down at Woody, unsure if he was joking or not. Then she realized that he wasn't.

"Sweet mother of Abraham Lincoln! He's really fainted!" Jessie cried out, alarmed. "What do I do? I need to calm down and think. Now the first-aide course I took said the first thing to do in a situation like this is to put the person on their back," Jessie quickly rolled Woody onto his back, mentally checking that off of her list. "Um… then check to see if they're breathing. Oh, you better be breathing, Woody, or I'll never forgive you!" Luckily, he was. "Next lift the legs to restore blood flow. Loosen collars and belts…" Jessie followed these steps.

Woody came around in about a minute much to Jessie's relief.

"You fainted!" Woody cried out, trying to sit up only to be stopped by Jessie.

"No, Woody - you fainted!" Jessie countered

"Don't tell me I fainted! Women who are bay-windowed faint," Woody told her, flat out.

Jessie forced herself not to roll her eyes.

"Woody. Now, just think for a minute. If I fainted, how came you're the one lying on the floor?" Jessie asked him.

Woody thought for a moment, and then sighed, "I fainted?" He asked as Jessie helped him sit up slowly.

"Yep," Jessie said. "And another thing - I just think I may be 'bay-windowed' as you so eloquently put it."

"How..?" Woody began.

"Oh Woody, "Jessie drawled in exasperation, helping him stand up. "What do you think we've been doing in our bed? Wrestling?"

"That wasn't what I was going to ask," Woody told her as he and Jessie sat down on the sofa. "I know perfectly well what we've been doing on our bed. What I was going to ask you is how could you not know for sure?"

"Because I haven't taken a test yet,"

"Well, what makes you think you might be?" Woody asked, staring at Jessie stomach.

So Jessie told him about Wilson's mother asking if she and Woody were planning to have any children and how that got her thinking about how she'd been feeling over recent days. Jessie sighed suddenly causing Woody to look at her. She was trying to pull her knees up to her chest, but it just wasn't working.

"I know we've never talked about having children…" She began heartedly. "We probably should have planned everything better."

Woody took her hand in his. "Why don't we take the test first and then talk about it?"

An awkward silence passed between reminding them of one that had passed between them eight years before.

"You just rest here," Woody finally said. "And I'll go buy you one of those tests,"

"I'm coming with you and I'm driving," Jessie told him, getting up.

"What?" Woody questioned, a little flabbergasted over her offer. Jessie should be resting until they knew for sure, after all. "Why?"

"One - you just fainted, so there's no way I'm letting you drive tonight and two: if you go by yourself, you'll buy the wrong thing."

"I would not," Woody claimed as they started to leave the house.

"Woody…for the most part, you are a very smart man. But whenever I send you out to the store to buy something - anything - you always get it wrong. It's like your brain goes on a holiday."

"Name one time," Woody challenged as they got in Jessie's car.

"All right. The first time, we ran out of laundry detergent and bleach. I told what kind we needed three times, and you came back with the wrong brand of detergent and color-safe bleach," Jessie told him, matter-o-fact.

"It wasn't that big a deal,"

"We both got rashes," Jessie proclaimed

"It was a good learning experience," Woody said. "Name another one."

"The one time I asked you to pick me up a new shampoo bottle, again. I told you three times what I needed and then you buy shampoo for color-treated hair. And when I sent you to the butcher for ground hamburger meat, you came back with veal!"

"It was from a cow," Woody told her.

"It's from a baby cow!" Jessie shot back.

"Well - you ate it,"

"I felt guilty the whole time," Jessie informed shyly

When they finally pulled into the parking lot opposite the drug store, a surreal feeling began to wash over them.

"The sooner we buy it, the sooner we find out for sure," Jessie confirmed, trying to sound upbeat.

"Right," Woody said, squeezing Jessie's hand.

The drug store was mostly deserted. There were only a few other customers inside along with a very bored looking clerk. Looking at all the different pregnancy tests, Woody grabbed the first one he saw.

"What about this one?" He questioned, showing it to Jessie.

"Woody," Jessie said, taking it from him half-heartedly. "That's a test to determine the gender of the baby."

"Won't it tell you if you're pregnant or not?" Woody asked.

"No," Jessie told him, putting it back down on the shelf. "I knew you'd pick out the wrong thing if I wasn't with you," She muttered.

….

"Jess," Woody began once they had bought the test and were back home. "I really think I should be in there with you!" He called through the kitchen's bathroom door.

"Woody - I know we've been married two years and all, but there are just some things I will never feel comfortable doing in front of you. And this is one of them!"

"I know, but…"

"But nothing!"

"I'm just trying to be supportive!"

"I know you are," Jessie sighed. "But this is something I need to do by myself."

"All right," Woody said as he sat down on the floor. In a few minutes, he was going to find out if their lives were to be forever changed for a third time.

Jessie came out of the bathroom after a few minutes and sat down next to him.

"We'll know in five minutes," Jessie told him.

It was the longest five minutes of their lives.

"You have really long legs," Jessie said to Woody to break the tension.

"So do you,"

"But your legs are longer," Jessie said.

"That's because I'm taller than you," Woody told her before he looked at his wristwatch. Four minutes left.

"I've been thinking that we should buy an antique dining room table. A nice, big one to fit everyone in for the holiday meals."

"Let's see… That would be us, your 'parents', my 'parents', your 'aunt' Ida and her latest fling, and my 'cousin' Mary and her latest fling," Woody murmured, counting with his fingers.

"At least each of our 'parents' behave when Aunt Ida and Cousin Mary are over. I wish our 'parents' didn't hate each other," Jessie said dryly.

"I know. Me too," Woody agreed.

"Why'd 'she' have to give us 'parents' who hate each other, anyway?"

"I don't know. We'll just have to ask 'her' the next time she pops in," Woody said before checking his watch again. Two more minutes to go.

They sent those last two minutes in complete silence. When those two minutes were up, the test showed up positive.

"Woody, we're going to have a baby!" Jessie exclaimed, somewhat shocked.

"I-I know," Woody answered in the same tone of voice.

"There's a baby growing inside me!"

"I know!"

"Woody - it's your baby that is growing inside me!"

"I know!"

"Are you mad?" Jessie cautiously asked in a very small voice.

"What? No - I'm not mad. How could I be mad? Jessie…we're having a baby!" A smile fondly grew wide on his face.

"Then you're happy?" Jessie asked, returning the smile.

"Of course I am. I'm happy - I'm really, really happy!" Woody proclaimed as it suddenly dawned on him that he was going to be a father. "Are you happy?" He abruptly asked Jessie.

"Yeah, I am," Jessie said in a happy tone, placing her hand on her stomach. Then her face showed the slightest doubt. "Woody? Are you as scared as I am?"

"If by 'scared' you mean utterly and equally terrified, then yeah - I am," Woody told her.

"That's about how scared I am," Jessie said. "Tomorrow, I'll call the doctor and make an appointment to get all checked out and find out how far along I am,"

…

Later that night as they got ready for bed, Jessie entered their bedroom to find Woody placing a pillow and a spare blanket on the floor by her side of the bed.

"What are you doing?" Jessie probed.

"I'm going to sleep on the floor. That way, if you fall out of bed in the night, I'll be there to brake your fall," He said sounding rather pleased with himself.

"But what if I fall out of bed on your side?"

"I hadn't thought of that," Woody admitted blatantly.

"Get into bed. I'll use you as my personal pillow," Jessie instructed, to which Woody complied instantly.

When he was finally in bed, he started to marvel over the fact that he and Jessie were about to have a child. He just couldn't believe it! However, the glee was short-lived as his thoughts started to trail towards that little girl again.

"Jess?" Woody said softly.

"Hm?"

"I think a toy took her."

"I didn't think a toy would ever go that far just to be played with," Jessie responded, as if she'd been dreading the mention of this fluctuant possibility.

"You know how they get when they change like that," Woody began, blandly. "I think I know the toy who took her."

"One of our old friends?" Jessie asked, somewhat startled.

"No - you've never met him," Woody said. "Remember about the boy I told you about named Sid and what he used to do to toys?"

Jessie nodded.

"I think the toy that took her was one of the mutant toys he made. I called him Baby-Face, but he looked more like a spider-baby. But at the same time I'm thinking: what if I'm wrong?"

"All you have to do is ask. If her toys were awake then they'll be able to tell you what took her," Jessie wisely said.

"What if they don't answer me?"

"It never hurts to ask."

"Would you answer?" Woody asked.

"I think I would," Jessie said truthfully

"But how am I going to ask the toys without having the girl's mother thinking I'm crazy?"

"I'll come with you and distract her. And you can just say you want another look at the crime scene."

"I don't know, Jess."

"Woody, please let me help. What if it was our child?" Jessie questioned, placing Woody's hand delicately but pleadingly on her stomach. "And someone had a way of finding out what really happened, but couldn't let us know?"

"All right, all right. Tomorrow, you'll come with me."


End file.
